Recording apparatus

ABSTRACT

A recording apparatus includes a apparatus main body, and a unit body that forms a medium transportation path, and is configured to be attachable and detachable with respect to the apparatus main body. The unit body includes a feeding roller that transports a medium, and a driven transportation unit that transmits the drive force of the drive transportation unit to the feeding roller. The unit body is displaceable between a first position at which the driven transmission unit is connected to the drive transmission unit and a second position at which the driven transmission unit is separated from the drive transmission unit. When a user pulls out the medium, the unit body retained at the first position moves from the first position to the second position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/224,905, filed Mar. 25, 2014, which patentapplication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/224,905 claims the benefit of andpriority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-072352 filed Mar. 29,2013, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that isrepresented by a facsimile, a printer or the like.

2. Related Art

In a recording apparatus that is represented by a facsimile, a printeror the like, since recording paper as an example of a medium is jammedin a transportation path (referred to as a paper jam or the like),JP-A-2007-279298 proposes an image formation apparatus having aconfiguration in which when the paper jam occurs, nipping of the paperis released in conjunction with an opening of a rear cover so that thejammed paper can be easily removed.

A recording apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2012-240813 has the followingconfiguration. An inversion roller forms an inverted path through whichrecording paper is inverted, and the inverted path is provided in abending inversion unit that is attachable and detachable with respect tothe recording apparatus main body. When the bending inversion unit isdetached from the recording apparatus, a paper transportation pathinside the apparatus is exposed.

However, in the image formation apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2007-279298,the configuration to release the nipping of the paper at multiplepositions becomes complicated. Accordingly, there is a problem in thatthe nipping of the paper can be released at limited positions and thus,workability in a paper jam release process deteriorates.

In the recording apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2012-240813, there is aproblem in that when a user performs a paper jam release process, it isnecessary for the user to detach the bending inversion unit, and theworkability deteriorates. There is a problem in that in a state where apart of the paper is nipped by roller provided on a side of the bendinginversion unit and the other part is nipped by rollers provided on aside the apparatus main body, when the bending inversion unit is pulledout, the paper can be ripped.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a recordingapparatus capable of more easily performing a paper jam releaseoperation and preventing a configuration of the apparatus from beingcomplicated in conjunction with improvement of workability in a paperjam release process.

The recording apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includesan apparatus main body that has a recording head which performsrecording on a medium; and a unit body that forms a mediumtransportation path through which the medium is transported, and isconfigured to be attachable and detachable with respect to the apparatusmain body. The unit body includes a feeding roller that transports themedium; a driven roller that nips the medium between the feeding rollerand the driven roller; and a driven transportation unit that isconnected to a drive transportation unit which is provided on a side ofthe apparatus main body to transmit a drive force, and that transmitsthe drive force of the drive transportation unit to the feeding roller.In a state where the unit body is mounted on the apparatus main body,the unit body is displaceable between a first position at which thedriven transmission unit is connected to the drive transmission unit anda second position at which the driven transmission unit is separatedfrom the drive transmission unit, that is, the unit body is pulled outwith respect to the first position. When a user pulls out the medium ofwhich a part appears on an outside of the unit body in a state where themedium is nipped by the feeding roller and the driven roller, the unitbody retained at the first position moves from the first position to thesecond position.

According to the aspect, in a state where the unit body is mounted onthe apparatus main body, the unit body having the feeding roller thattransports the medium is displaceable between the first position atwhich the driven transmission unit is connected to the drivetransmission unit and the second position at which the driventransmission unit is separated from the drive transmission unit, thatis, the unit body is pulled out with respect to the first position.Accordingly, a drive force is not transmitted to the unit body at thesecond position. That is, since the feeding roller provided on the unitbody is freely rotatable, it is possible to easily pull out the mediumin contact with the feeding roller, and it is possible to easily performa paper jam release operation.

In addition, even in a case where the medium is nipped at multiplepositions, when only a connection between the drive transmission unitand the driven transmission unit is released, a drive force is nottransmitted to the entirety of the unit body, that is, each of therollers is freely rotatable at the multiple nipping positions of themedium. In a configuration in which the medium is nipped at multiplepositions, it is possible to avoid complexity of the structure and toeasily remove medium.

When a user pulls out the medium of which a part appears on an outsideof the unit body in a state where the medium is nipped by the feedingroller and the driven roller, the unit body retained at the firstposition moves from the first position to the second position.Accordingly, it is not necessary for the user to move the unit body fromthe first position to the second position, and good workability isobtained.

The recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention mayfurther include a retention unit that retains the unit body at thesecond position against an operation of pulling out the medium.

According to the aspect, since the recording apparatus includes theretention unit that retains the unit body at the second position againstthe operation of pulling out the medium, the retention unit may preventthe unit body from unintentionally returning to the first positionduring a medium jam release operation.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention,when a user pulls out the medium that is nipped by the feeding rollerand the driven roller in a state where the unit body is retained at thesecond position, the retention of the unit body at the second positionmay be maintained, and the medium may be pulled out from between thefeeding roller and the driven roller.

According to the aspect, since a force of retaining the unit body at thesecond position is larger than a force of pulling out the medium fromthe unit body, when the medium is pulled out from the unit body, it ispossible to avoid such a problem that the unit body is also pulled outfrom the apparatus main body while being accompanied by the medium.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, theretention unit may be configured to include a protrusion that isprovided on one of the apparatus main body and the unit body; and asloping surface that is provided on the other of the apparatus main bodyand the unit body, which is not provided with the protrusion, to engagewith the protrusion. When a pullout force equal to or larger than apredetermined magnitude is exerted on the unit body, the protrusion mayclimb over the sloping surface and thus, the retention of the unit bodymay be released from the second position.

According to the aspect, if a pullout force equal to or larger than apredetermined magnitude is applied to the unit body, it is possible topull out the unit body. Accordingly, when the unit body is pulled out,good workability is obtained compared to a configuration in which theunit body is completely locked at the second position.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, theunit body may include an openable and closeable cover that has thedriven roller, and when the cover is open, the driven roller separatesfrom the feeding roller.

According to the aspect, the unit body includes the openable andcloseable cover that has the driven roller, and when the cover is open,the driven roller separates from the feeding roller. Accordingly, whenthe cover is open, it is possible to easily remove the medium, forexample, a small piece of the medium, jammed inside the unit body.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, theunit body may be mounted on a mounting section that is exposed when anopenable and closeable opening/closing body provided on the apparatusmain body is open.

According to the aspect, since the unit body is mounted on the mountingsection that is exposed when the openable and closeable opening/closingbody provided on the apparatus main body is open, it is possible toprevent a user from unintentionally dropping the unit body. Since theunit body is not configured to have a member forming an exterior of theapparatus main body as an element, that is, the opening/closing body andthe unit body are separately configured, it is possible to reduce theweight of the unit body, and to obtain good workability when attachingand detaching the unit body with respect to the apparatus main body.

A recording apparatus according to another aspect of the inventionincludes an apparatus main body that has a recording head which performsrecording on a medium; and a unit body that forms a mediumtransportation path through which the medium is transported, and isconfigured to be attachable and detachable with respect to the apparatusmain body. The unit body is mounted on a mounting section that isexposed when an openable and closeable opening/closing body provided onthe apparatus main body is open. The unit body includes a feeding rollerthat transports the medium; and a driven transportation unit that isconnected to a drive transportation unit which is provided on a side ofthe apparatus main body to transmit a drive force, and that transmitsthe drive force of the drive transportation unit to the feeding roller.In a state where the unit body is mounted on the apparatus main body,the unit body is displaceable between a first position at which thedriven transmission unit is connected to the drive transmission unit anda second position at which the driven transmission unit is separatedfrom the drive transmission unit, that is, the unit body is pulled outwith respect to the first position. When the opening/closing body isclosed, the unit body is retained at the first position by theopening/closing body. When the opening/closing body is open, the unitbody is displaced from the first position to the second position.

According to the aspect, when the opening/closing body is closed, theunit body is retained at the first position by the opening/closing body.When the opening/closing body is open, the unit body is displaced fromthe first position to the second position. Accordingly, it is notnecessary for the user to move the unit body from the first position tothe second position, and good workability is obtained.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect, when theopening/closing body is open, at least a part of the feeding roller maybe exposed.

According to the aspect, when the opening/closing body is open, a partof the feeding roller is exposed, thereby causing a jammed medium to befurther exposed. Accordingly, it is possible to more easily perform apaper jam release operation.

In the recording apparatus according to the aspect, the feeding rollermay be a roller that inverts the medium fed from a side of the recordinghead by using an outer circumferential surface thereof. The unit bodymay include a second feeding roller of which an outer circumferentialsurface is in contact with medium transportation paths before and afterthe medium is inverted by the feeding roller and which exerts atransportation force on the medium.

According to the aspect, the unit body includes the feeding roller as aroller (hereinafter, referred to as a “inversion roller”) that invertsthe medium, and the second feeding roller of which the outercircumferential surface is in contact with the medium transportationpaths before and after the medium is inverted by the inversion rollerand which exerts a transportation force on the medium. Accordingly, thediameter of the inversion roller can be prevented from becoming large,and it can be ensured that the inverted path has sufficient length forthe second feeding roller to invert the medium.

Since the second feeding roller is in contact with the mediumtransportation paths before and after the medium is inverted by theinversion roller and exerts a transportation force on the medium, oneroller (the second feeding roller) contributes to formation of themedium transportation paths before and after the medium is inverted.Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of the rollers that aredisposed, and to suppress an increase in cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the printer according to theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a papertransportation path of the printer according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where atransportation unit is detached from the paper transportation path ofthe printer according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view illustrating the vicinity of thetransportation section in the paper transportation path of the printeraccording to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the transportation unit according to theinvention.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view illustrating a state where the papertransportation path in the transportation unit is open.

FIG. 7B is a perspective view when the transportation unit is seen frombelow.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view illustrating a state where a backsurface cover of the printer according to the invention is open.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view when the printer according to theinvention is seen from above in a state where the back surface cover isopen.

FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of the back surface cover in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A is a rear perspective view illustrating a state where thetransportation unit is detached from the printer.

FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a stopper sectionprovided on the printer.

FIG. 11A is a view illustrating a power transmission path of thetransportation unit according to the invention.

FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of the transportation unit in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where theback surface cover of the printer according to the invention is open.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where powertransmission in the power transmission path of the transportation unitis disconnected.

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional side view illustrating states of thetransportation unit and the stopper section of the printer in FIG. 12B.

FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where thetransportation unit is detached from the printer.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional side view of a printer to which atransportation unit is attached in a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of the printer from which thetransportation unit is detached in the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the embodiments, thesame reference signs will be assigned to the same configurations. Theconfigurations will be described only in a first embodiment, and willnot be described in another embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the invention.FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the printer according to theinvention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a papertransportation path of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 4 isa cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where a transportationunit is detached from the paper transportation path of the printeraccording to the invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view illustrating thevicinity of the transportation section in the paper transportation pathof the printer according to the invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective viewof the transportation unit according to the invention. FIG. 7A is aperspective view illustrating a state where the paper transportationpath in the transportation unit is open. FIG. 7B is a perspective viewwhen the transportation unit is seen from below.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view illustrating a state where a backsurface cover of the printer according to the invention is open. FIG. 9Ais a perspective view when the printer according to the invention isseen from above in a state where the back surface cover is open. FIG. 9Bis an enlarged view of the back surface cover in FIG. 9A. FIG. 10A is arear perspective view illustrating a state where the transportation unitis detached from the printer. FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective viewillustrating a stopper section provided on the printer. FIG. 11A is aview illustrating a power transmission path of the transportation unitaccording to the invention. FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of thetransportation unit in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where theback surface cover of the printer according to the invention is open.FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a state where powertransmission in the power transmission path of the transportation unitis disconnected. FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional side view illustratingstates of the transportation unit and the stopper section of the printerin FIG. 12B. FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional side view illustrating astate where the transportation unit is detached from the printer. FIG.14 is a cross-sectional side view of a printer to which a transportationunit of a second embodiment is attached. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectionalside view of the printer from which the transportation unit of thesecond embodiment is detached.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, substantially all rollers are drawn on the samedrawing sheet to illustrate the rollers disposed in the papertransportation path of a printer 10. However, the rollers are not alwayscoincidentally positioned in a depth direction (in a front and backdirection of a drawing sheet in a FIG. 3) of the printer 10 (somerollers are coincidentally positioned in the depth direction thereof).In an X, Y and Z coordinate system of each drawing, an X directionindicates a scanning direction of a recording head, a Y directionindicates a depth direction of a recording apparatus, and a Z directionindicates a height direction of the printer. In each drawing, a −Ydirection indicates a front surface side of the apparatus, and a +Ydirection indicates a back surface side thereof.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the printer 10 according to the invention. Theprinter 10 includes a apparatus main body 12, and a manuscript scanningapparatus 14 that is provided on an upper portion of the apparatus mainbody 12 to be rotationally movable with respect to the apparatus mainbody 12. The apparatus main body 12 includes an operation panel section16 which is provided on the front surface side (on a side of the −Ydirection in FIG. 1) of the apparatus, and through which a user operatesthe printer 10; a discharge port 18 that is open toward the frontsurface side of the apparatus; and medium containers 20 that aredisposed under the discharge port 18.

The apparatus main body 12 includes a back surface cover 22 on the backsurface side (on a side of the +Y direction in FIG. 2) of the apparatusas an opening/closing body that is configured to be rotationally movablewith respect to the apparatus main body 12. In FIG. 2, the back surfacecover 22 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12. The backsurface cover 22 includes a medium support tray 24 that is rotationallymovably connected to a free end side of the back surface cover 22, thatis, a side opposite to a rotationally moving shaft thereof to bedescribed later.

Subsequently, in the printer 10, a transportation path of paper P as a“medium” will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. The printer10 includes a medium container 20, a transportation section 26, arecording section 28 and a discharge section 30 in the apparatus mainbody 12.

The medium container 20 includes an upper stage tray 32 that ispositioned on an upper side in the Z direction, and a lower stage tray34 that is positioned below the upper stage tray 32. The upper stagetray 32 and the lower stage tray 34 are configured in such a manner thatthe upper stage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34 can be mounted ontoand detached from the apparatus main body 12 from a front side (the −Ydirection in FIG. 3) of the apparatus.

Each of the upper stage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34 contains aplurality of the paper P. In the embodiment, each of the upper stagetray 32 and the lower stage tray 34 contains a different type of paper,but in a case where it is not particularly necessary to distinguish thetypes of the paper from each other, the paper is referred to as the“paper P”. The paper P is an example of the medium.

Pickup rollers 36 and 38 that are rotationally driven by driving sourceswhich are not illustrated are respectively provided above the upperstage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34. The pickup rollers 36 and 38are respectively provided on rocking members 44 and 46 that respectivelyrock about rocking shafts 40 and 42.

When the paper P contained in the upper stage tray 32 is fed to adownstream side of the transportation path based on an instruction inputfrom the operation panel section 16, the pickup roller 36 rotates incontact with the uppermost paper P contained in the upper stage tray 32and thus, the uppermost paper P is fed from the upper stage tray 32 tothe downstream side of the transportation path. Similarly, when thepaper P contained in the lower stage tray 34 is fed to the downstreamside of the transportation path, the pickup roller 38 rotates in contactwith the uppermost paper P contained in the lower stage tray 34 andthus, the uppermost paper P is fed from the lower stage tray 34 to thedownstream side of the transportation path.

When the back surface cover 22 is closed with respect to the apparatusmain body 12, an inner surface of the back surface cover 22 forms a partof the transportation path of the paper P. That is, a feeding pathsection 48 formed on an inside of the back surface cover 22 guides thepaper P fed from the upper stage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34 tothe transportation section 26.

The transportation section 26 includes a first roller 50 as a “firstfeeding roller”; a second roller 52 as a “second feeding roller”; and afirst transportation driven roller 54, a second transportation drivenroller 56, a third transportation driven roller 58, a fourthtransportation driven roller 60, a fifth transportation driven roller62, and a pair of transportation rollers 64 as “driven rollers.

Herein, a transportation unit 66 (refer to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) that isattachable and detachable with respect to the apparatus main body 12 isconfigured to have the first roller 50, the second roller 52, the firsttransportation driven roller 54, the second transportation driven roller56 and the third transportation driven roller 58. The transportationunit 66 as a “unit body” will be described later. In the embodiment, thefirst roller 50 and the second roller 52 are driven to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction by a common drive motor 116 to be describedlater.

The transportation section 26 will be described later. The paper P istransported to the transportation rollers 64 via the fifthtransportation driven roller 62 and the third transportation drivenroller 58 which are in contact with the first roller 50 along thetransportation path in the transportation section 26, and via the secondtransportation driven roller 56 and the first transportation drivenroller 54 which are in contact with the second roller 52 along thetransportation path in the transportation section 26. The recordingsection 28 is provided in the transportation path on a downstream sideof the transportation rollers 64 of the transportation section 26.

The recording section 28 is provided in the transportation path on thedownstream side of the transportation rollers 64 of the transportationsection 26. The recording section 28 includes a carriage 68 that canmove in the scanning direction (in the X axis direction in FIG. 3), arecording head 70 that is provided on a lower portion of the carriage 68to eject ink on the paper P, and a platen 72 that is provided to facethe recording head 70 and support the paper P.

The discharge section 30 is provided in the transportation path on thedownstream side of the recording section 28. The discharge section 30 isprovided with a pair of discharge rollers 74, and a discharge stacker 76on which the paper P discharged from the discharge roller 74 is mountedand is provided on the front side (in the −Y direction) of the apparatusto protrude from the discharge port 18. When the paper P is fed from thetransportation section 26 to the recording section 28 along thetransportation path, recording is performed on a first surface of thepaper P. After the recording is completed, the paper P is nipped by thedischarge roller 74, and is discharged to the discharge stacker 76 thatis provided on the front side of the apparatus.

When the recording section 28 performs recording on both surfaces of thepaper P in the printer 10, the recording section 28 performs therecording on the first surface of the paper P, and then while a trailingedge of the paper when the recording is performed on the first surfacebecomes a leading edge thereof due to a backward feeding operation ofthe transportation rollers 64 and the discharge rollers 74, the paper Pis fed to an inverted path 78 to be described later, which is positionedon a side further in a −Z direction than the second roller 52 in the Zaxis direction, that is, which is positioned below the transportationunit 66. The inverted path 78 is provided below the first roller 50 andthe second roller 52, that is, along the −Z direction in FIG. 3 and isprovided to converge with the transportation path of the paper P fromthe medium container 20.

For this reason, the paper P is fed to the recording section 28 againvia the transportation path from the inverted path 78 and atransportation path that is positioned above the first roller 50 and thesecond roller 52, and the recording section 28 performs recording on asecond surface. After the recording is completed, the paper P is nippedby the discharge rollers 74, and is discharged to the discharge stacker76 that is provided on the front side of the apparatus.

First Embodiment

Subsequently, the transportation section 26 will be described withreference to FIGS. 3 and 5. In FIG. 5, a solid line indicates thetransportation path of the medium fed from the medium container 20, anda broken line indicates the inverted path of the paper P. The firstroller 50 and the second roller 52 are provided at the same position inthe Z axis direction of FIG. 3. For this reason, it is possible to limitdimensions of disposition regions of the first roller 50 and the secondroller 52 to the minimum in the Z axis direction.

The first roller 50 and the second roller 52 are disposed with a gap inthe Y axis direction therebetween. That is, in the transportation pathof the paper P, the first roller 50 is positioned on an upstream side ofthe transportation path, and the second roller 52 is positioned on thedownstream side of the transportation path. The gap is set to have alength less than the minimum length in a transportation path directionof the paper P corresponding to the printer 10.

Furthermore, in the front and back direction of the apparatus (in the Yaxis direction in FIGS. 3 and 5) with respect to the recording head 70to be described later of the recording section 28, the first roller 50and the second roller 52 are positioned on a back side (in the +Ydirection) with respect to the disposition region of the recording head70, and are provided at the same position as a position of thedisposition region of the recording head 70 in the height direction ofthe apparatus (in the Z axis direction). For this reason, it is possibleto prevent the disposition region of the recording head 70 fromoverlapping the disposition regions of the first roller 50 and thesecond roller 52 in the height direction (in the Z axis direction) ofthe apparatus, and it is possible to suppress increase of the dimensionin the height direction (in the Z axis direction) of the apparatus.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first roller 50 inverts the paper P fedfrom a side of the recording head 70 by using an outer circumferentialsurface thereof and thus, the first surface is on the bottom, and thesecond surface is on the top. Furthermore, an outer circumferentialsurface of the second roller 52 is in contact with the transportationpath before the paper P is inverted by the first roller 50, that is, theinverted path 78, and is in contact with the transportation path afterthe paper P is inverted by the first roller 50, that is, thetransportation path above the first and the second rollers 50 and 52 andthus, the second roller 52 exerts a transportation force on the paper P.

In FIG. 3, the first transportation driven roller 54 is positioned abovea center shaft of the second roller 52 and on the front side of theapparatus, that is, on the side of the −Y direction, and is in contactwith the second roller 52. That is, while the paper P is nipped betweenthe second roller 52 and the first transportation driven roller 54, thefirst transportation driven roller 54 is rotationally driven totransport the paper P. The second transportation driven roller 56 ispositioned on an upstream side in the transportation path of the firsttransportation driven roller 54, and on the side further in the +Zdirection than the second roller 52 in the Z axis direction in FIG. 3.The second transportation driven roller 56 is in contact with the secondroller 52. That is, while the paper P is nipped between the secondroller 52 and the second transportation driven roller 56, the secondtransportation driven roller 56 is rotationally driven to transport thepaper P to the first transportation driven roller 54.

For this reason, when the second roller 52 transports the paper P alongthe transportation path, the first transportation driven roller 54 andthe second transportation driven roller 56 transports the paper P whilethe paper P is nipped thereby and thus, it is possible to reliablysuppress oblique feeding of the paper P during the transportation.

The third transportation driven roller 58 is positioned on the upstreamside in the transportation path of the second transportation drivenroller 56, and the third transportation driven roller 58 is positionedon the side further in the +Z direction than the first roller 50 in theZ axis direction in FIG. 3, and is in contact with the first roller 50.That is, while the paper P is nipped between the first roller 50 and thethird transportation driven roller 58, the third transportation drivenroller 58 is rotationally driven to transport the paper P toward thesecond roller 52.

The pair of transportation rollers 64 is provided on a downstream sideof the transportation path from a nipping position between the secondroller 52 and the first transportation driven roller 54. While the paperP is nipped between the first roller 50 and the third transportationdriven roller 58, and then between the second roller 52 and the secondtransportation driven roller 56, and then between the second roller 52and the first transportation driven roller 54, that is, while the paperP is nipped in the sequence listed along the transportation path, thepaper P is transported to the transportation rollers 64.

For this reason, when the paper P is transported by the first roller 50and the second roller 52 along the transportation path, the paper P istransported while being nipped by the third transportation driven roller58, and then by the second transportation driven roller 56 and then bythe first transportation driven roller 54 in the sequence listed andthus, it is possible to reliably suppress oblique feeding of the paper Pduring the transportation.

In the transportation path, the length of the path from the nippingposition between the second roller 52 and the first transportationdriven roller 54 to a nipping position between the pair oftransportation rollers 64 is set to be less than the minimum length inthe transportation path direction of the paper P corresponding to theprinter 10.

In the inverted path illustrated by the broken line in FIG. 5, thelength of the inverted path is set to be larger than the maximum lengthin the transportation path direction of the paper P corresponding to theprinter 10, in such a manner that leading edge and trailing edge sidesin the transportation direction of the paper P do not overlap the leadedge and the trailing edge sides in an inverted transportation paththereof.

For this reason, it is possible to prevent the diameter of the firstroller 50 from becoming large, and to ensure that the inverted path 78has sufficient length for the second roller 52 to invert the paper P.Since the second roller 52 can exert a transportation force on theinverted path before the paper P is inverted and on the transportationpath after the paper P is inverted, it is possible to reduce the numberof the rollers that are disposed, and to suppress an increase in cost.

The fourth transportation driven roller 60 is positioned on the sidefurther in the −Z direction than the second roller 52 in the Z axisdirection in FIG. 3, and is in contact with the second roller 52.Furthermore, the fifth transportation driven roller 62 is positioned onan upper stream side in the transportation path of the thirdtransportation driven roller 58, and is provided on the feeding pathsection 48 of the back surface cover 22 forming a part of thetransportation path from the medium container 20 to be in contact withthe first roller 50. That is, while the paper P is nipped between thefirst roller 50 and the fifth transportation driven roller 62, the fifthtransportation driven roller 62 is rotationally driven to transport thepaper P toward the third transportation driven roller 58. When the backsurface cover 22 to be described later is open with respect to theapparatus main body 12, the fifth transportation driven roller 62separates from the first roller 50.

Herein, the transportation path of the paper P will be described again.The paper P fed from the upper stage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34is guided to the feeding path section 48 of the back surface cover 22,and is nipped by the first roller 50 and the fifth transportation drivenroller 62. The paper P is fed along the outer circumferential surface ofthe first roller 50, and is nipped by the first roller 50 and the thirdtransportation driven roller 58. The paper P is fed to the downstreamside of the transportation path.

That is, the feeding path of the paper P fed from the medium container20 (the upper stage tray 32 and the lower stage tray 34) converges withthe transportation path formed by the first roller 50. For this reason,the first roller 50 forms not only the inverted path but also thenon-inverted path. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve space savingand to reduce the number of components.

The paper P supported by the medium support tray 24 is drawn into thetransportation path from a section between the fifth transportationdriven roller 62 and the third transportation driven roller 58 in thetransportation path via the medium support tray 24 and the feeding pathsection 80, and the leading edge of the paper P is nipped by the firstroller 50 and the third transportation driven roller 58. The paper P fedfrom the medium support tray 24 converges with the transportation pathof the paper P transported from the medium container 20 and is fed tothe downstream side of the transportation path.

That is, a supply path of the paper P supplied from the medium supporttray 24 converges with the transportation path formed by the firstroller 50. For this reason, the first roller 50 can form the supply pathof the medium from the medium support tray 24. Accordingly, it ispossible to achieve space saving and to reduce the number of components.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, since the second roller 52 is positioneddownstream of the first roller 50, it is possible to ensure the length(the length of the path of up to the recording section 28) of the supplypath of the paper P supplied via the medium support tray 24.Accordingly, when a user manually supplies the paper P via the mediumsupport tray 24, there is a problem in that the user inserts the paper Pinto the apparatus deep enough to significantly exceeding a recommendedsetting position. At this time, if the leading edge of the paper Preaches a position that faces the recording head 70, the recording head70 cannot properly perform recording on the paper P. However, since itis possible to ensure the length of the supply path of the paper Psupplied via the medium support tray 24, it is possible to prevent theproblem from occurring.

Subsequently, the paper P is nipped by the second roller 52 and thesecond transportation driven roller 56. The paper P is fed to thedownstream side of the transportation path, and is nipped by the secondroller 52 and the first transportation driven roller 54. Thereafter, thepaper P is further transported to the pair of transportation rollers 64.The paper P is nipped by the transportation rollers 64, and is fed tothe recording section 28 on the downstream side of the transportationpath, and recording is performed on the first surface of the paper P.After the recording is completed, the paper P is nipped by the dischargerollers 74, and is discharged to the discharge stacker 76 that isprovided on the front side of the apparatus.

When the recording section 28 performs recording on both surfaces of thepaper P in the printer 10, the recording section 28 performs therecording on the first surface of the paper P, and then while thetrailing edge of the paper when the recording is performed on the firstsurface becomes the leading edge thereof due to a backward feedingoperation of the transportation rollers 64 and the discharge rollers 74,the paper P is fed to the inverted path 78 which is positioned on theside further in the −Z direction than the second roller 52 in the Z axisdirection.

The paper P fed to the inverted path 78 is nipped by the second roller52 and the fourth transportation driven roller 60, and is fed to theouter circumferential surface on the side further in the −Z directionthan the first roller 50. Along the outer circumferential surface of thefirst roller 50, the paper P is nipped again by the first roller 50 andthe fifth transportation driven roller 62. Accordingly, the paper P isbent and inverted so that the first surface is on the bottom and thesecond surface is on the top. Thereafter, the paper P is fed along thetransportation path to the recording section 28 by the transportationrollers 64 via the first roller 50, the third transportation drivenroller 58, the second transportation driven roller 56, the firsttransportation driven roller 54 and the second roller 52.

For this reason, the second surface faces the recording head 70. Therecording section 28 performs recording on the second surface, and thepaper P is nipped by the discharge rollers 74 and is discharged to thedischarge stacker 76 that is provided on the front side of theapparatus.

Subsequently, the transportation unit 66 will be described withreference to FIGS. 6, 7A and 7B. The transportation unit 66 isconfigured to be attachable and detachable with respect to the apparatusmain body 12. A method for attaching and detaching the transportationunit 66 with respect to the apparatus main body 12 will be describedlater.

The transportation unit 66 includes a unit main body 82 and a coversection 84. In the embodiment, a driven transmission unit 86 is providedin an end portion on the side further in the +X direction than the unitmain body 82. The driven transmission unit 86 includes a firsttransmission gear 88, a second roller drive gear 90, a secondtransmission gear 92 and a first roller drive gear 94. The firsttransmission gear 88 engages with the second roller drive gear 90, andthe second roller drive gear 90 engages with the second transmissiongear 92, and the second transmission gear 92 engages with the firstroller drive gear 94.

The second roller drive gear 90 is connected to the second roller 52 viaa shaft that is not illustrated. The first roller drive gear 94 isconnected to the first roller 50 via a shaft that is not illustrated.

In a state where the transportation unit 66 is attached to the apparatusmain body 12, the driven transmission unit 86 of the transportation unit66 is connected to a drive transmission unit 96 to be described later ona side of the apparatus main body 12, and receives a drive force fromthe drive transmission unit 96. That is, the driven transmission unit 86drives the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 by using the driveforce of the drive transmission unit 96 on the side of the apparatusmain body 12. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a drivingsource in the transportation unit 66, and it is possible to prevent theweight of the transportation unit 66 from increasing.

In the embodiment, the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 aredisposed in a center portion in a width direction (in an X axisdirection in FIG. 7A) of the unit main body 82. The first roller 50 isdisposed on a back end side (on a side of a +Y direction in FIG. 7A) ofthe unit main body 82. The second roller 52 is disposed with a gap onthe side of the −Y direction from the first roller 50.

In the embodiment, the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 are setto have a diameter of the same dimension. For this reason, the firstroller 50 and the second roller 52 can be made of a common configurationmember, and it is possible to achieve low costs. Since the first roller50 and the second roller 52 have the same diameter, it is possible toeasily set circumferential velocities of the outer circumferences of therollers, that is, paper transportation velocities, to be equal to eachother by setting the numbers of rotations of both rollers to be thesame. Since the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 have a diameterof the same dimension, it is possible to horizontally maintain the paperP that is transported in the transportation path which is formed betweenthe unit main body 82 and the cover section 84 to be described later.

Since the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 can have the samepaper transportation velocity, tension or deflection is not exerted onthe paper P between the first roller 50 and the second roller 52. As aresult, it is possible to reliably transport the paper P along thetransportation path.

The first roller 50 and the second roller 52 are driven by a drive forcefrom the first transmission gear 88. For this reason, the first roller50 and the second roller 52 can have a common driving source. For thisreason, since it is not necessary to provide the driving source for eachof the first roller 50 and the second roller 52, it is possible toprevent costs from increasing.

Since the transportation unit 66 that is attachable and detachable withrespect to the apparatus main body 12 is configured to have the firstroller 50 and the second roller 52, when the transportation unit 66 isdetached from the apparatus main body 12, the inverted path 78 providedin the apparatus main body 12 is exposed. Accordingly, it is possible toeasily remove the jammed paper P when the paper P is jammed (when apaper jam occurs).

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7A, the cover section 84 has aconfiguration in which the cover section 84 is attached to arotationally moving shaft that is provided on the side further in the −Ydirection than the unit main body 82, and can be opened and closed whenthe cover section 84 rotationally moves with respect to the unit mainbody 82. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the cover section 84can be closed with respect to the unit main body 82. As illustrated inFIG. 7A, the cover section 84 can be opened with the unit main body 82.As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the first transportation driven roller 54,the second transportation driven roller 56 and the third transportationdriven roller 58 are rotatably provided on an inner surface 84 a of thecover section 84.

When the cover section 84 is closed with respect to the unit main body82, the first transportation driven roller 54, the second transportationdriven roller 56 and the third transportation driven roller 58 aredisposed on the inner surface 84 a to be in contact with the firstroller 50 and the second roller 52 at the positions illustrated in FIG.5.

That is, when the cover section 84 is closed with respect to the unitmain body 82, the first transportation driven roller 54 and the secondtransportation driven roller 56, and the third transportation drivenroller 58 are respectively in contact with the second roller 52 and thefirst roller 50. When the cover section 84 is open with respect to theunit main body 82, the first transportation driven roller 54 and thesecond transportation driven roller 56, and the third transportationdriven roller 58 respectively separate from the second roller 52 and thefirst roller 50.

For this reason, when the cover section 84 is open, it is possible toeasily remove the paper P, for example, a small piece of the paper P,jammed inside the transportation unit 66.

The unit main body 82 includes an upper surface 82 a and a lower surface82 b. When the cover section 84 is closed with respect to the unit mainbody 82, with a predetermined gap between the upper surface 82 a and theinner surface 84 a, the upper surface 82 a faces the inner surface 84 aof the cover section 84. That is, when the cover section 84 is closedwith respect to the unit main body 82, the upper surface 82 a and theinner surface 84 a form a part of the transportation path of the paperP. When the transportation unit 66 is attached to the apparatus mainbody 12, the inverted path 78 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 5) is formed betweenthe lower surface 82 b and a support plate 98 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 5)of the apparatus main body 12.

The first roller 50 and the second roller 52 protrude to thetransportation path and the inverted path 78 from the upper surface 82 aand the lower surface 82 b of the unit main body 82. Even when the coversection 84 is closed, the back end side (on the side of the Y directionin FIG. 6) of the unit main body 82 is open and is exposed.

When the transportation unit 66 is mounted onto the apparatus main body12, and the back surface cover 22 is closed with respect to theapparatus main body 12, the back end side (on the side of the Ydirection in FIG. 6) of the unit main body 82 faces the feeding pathsection 48 of the back surface cover 22. Accordingly, the back end sideof the unit main body 82 and the feeding path section 48 form a part ofthe transportation path from the medium container 20 and a part of theinverted path 78.

The first roller 50 protrudes from the back end side of the unit mainbody 82 to the transportation path that is formed by the back endportion and the feeding path section 48. For this reason, the outercircumferential surface of the first roller 50 protrudes to thetransportation path and the inverted path from the upper surface 82 a,the back end side and the lower surface 82 b of the unit main body 82,and rotation of the first roller 50 can be used to transport the paperP.

In both end portions in a width direction (in an X axis direction inFIG. 6) of the back end side (the side of the +Y direction in FIG. 6) ofthe unit main body 82, grasping sections 100 are provided to protrude tothe side of the +Y direction. For this reason, when the transportationunit 66 is attached and detached with respect to the apparatus main body12, good workability is obtained.

In each end portion in the width direction (in an X axis direction inFIG. 7B) of the unit main body 82, a protrusion 102 (refer to FIGS. 6and 7B) is provided on the lower surface 82 b of the unit main body 82to protrude in a −Z direction in FIG. 7B from the lower surface 82 b. Ineach end portion in the width direction (in the X axis direction in FIG.6) of the back end side (the side of the +Y direction in FIG. 6) of theunit main body 82, a pressed section 104 is provided. The protrusion 102and the pressed section 104 will be described in detail later.

Subsequently, the back surface cover 22 and a mounting section 106(refer to FIG. 10A) of the transportation unit 66 of the apparatus mainbody 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9A, 9B, 10A and10B. In FIG. 8, the back surface cover 22 is open with respect to theapparatus main body 12. At this time, the transportation unit 66 ismounted onto the apparatus main body 12. For this reason, when the backsurface cover 22 and the medium support tray 24 provided on the backsurface cover 22 are open with respect to the apparatus main body 12, atleast parts of the back end side (the side of the +Y direction in FIG.6) of the transportation unit 66 and the first roller 50 are exposed tothe outside of the apparatus main body 12.

Accordingly, a part of the transportation path from the medium container20 and a part of the supply path from the medium support tray 24 areexposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12. In addition, atleast a part of the first roller 50 is exposed, thereby causing thepaper P jammed in the transportation path and the supply path to beexposed. Accordingly, it is possible to easily remove the paper P and toeasily perform a paper jam release operation.

When the back surface cover 22 is open with respect to the apparatusmain body 12, the first roller 50 of the transportation unit 66separates from the fifth transportation driven roller 62 that isprovided on the inside of the back surface cover 22. For this reason,when the paper P fed from the medium container 20 is jammed in thetransportation path from the medium container 20, it is possible toeasily remove the paper P.

In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the feeding path section 48 is provided on theinside of the back surface cover 22 to form a part of the transportationpath. A pressing section 108 is provided in each end portion in an Xaxis direction in FIG. 9A of the back surface cover 22. When the backsurface cover 22 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12,the pressing sections 108 are provided on the back surface cover 22 atpositions where the pressing sections 108 engage with the pressedsections 104 of the transportation unit 66.

Accordingly, when the transportation unit 66 is mounted onto theapparatus main body 12 and the back surface cover 22 is closed withrespect to the apparatus main body 12, the transportation unit 66 ismounted onto the apparatus main body 12, the pressed section 104 and thepressing section 108 engage each other. That is, in a state where theback surface cover 22 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body12, the back surface cover 22 is in contact with the transportation unit66 and thus, a closed posture of the back surface cover 22 is regulated.

For this reason, a relative position relationship between the backsurface cover 22 and the transportation unit 66 is accuratelydetermined. Accordingly, when the transportation path of the paper P isformed by the back surface cover and the transportation unit 66, thefeeding path section 48 of the back surface cover 22 faces the back endside of the transportation unit 66 while a proper gap is maintainedbetween the feeding path section 48 and the back end side. As a result,it is possible to properly form the transportation path of the paper P.

Subsequently, FIG. 10A illustrates a state where the transportation unit66 is detached from the apparatus main body 12. When the back surfacecover 22 is open, the apparatus main body 12 is provided with themounting section 106 that is exposed toward the back surface side (aside of a +Y direction in FIG. 10A) of the apparatus. It is possible tomount the transportation unit 66 on the mounting section 106 byinserting the transportation unit 66 from the back surface side of theapparatus, that is, from the side of the +Y direction to a side of a −Ydirection.

That is, since the transportation unit 66 is mounted onto the mountingsection 106 that is exposed when the openable and closeable back surfacecover 22 provided on the apparatus main body 12 is open, it is possibleto prevent a user from unintentionally dropping the transportation unit66. Since the transportation unit 66 is not configured to have a memberforming an exterior of the apparatus main body as an element, that is,the back surface cover 22 and the transportation unit 66 are separatelyconfigured, it is possible to reduce the weight of the transportationunit 66, and to obtain good workability when attaching and detaching thetransportation unit 66 with respect to the apparatus main body 12. Evenin a case where the size of the printer 10 becomes large, it is possibleto prevent the weight of the transportation unit 66 from increasing, andto ensure good handleability.

FIG. 10B illustrates an end portion on a side of a +X direction in awidth direction (in an X axis direction in FIGS. 10A and 10B) of themounting section 106. On the support plate 98 forming the inverted path78 of the apparatus main body 12, a sloping surface 110 is provided inthe end portion on the side of the +X direction in the width direction.The sloping surface 110 is provided in the end portion on the sidefurther in the −X direction than the support plate 98 (not illustrated),and the sloping surface 110 engages with the protrusion 102 of thetransportation unit 66 at a second position (refer to FIG. 13A) to bedescribed to configure a retention unit 112 that retains thetransportation unit 66 at the second position.

Subsequently, the following will be described with reference to FIGS.11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B: a method for attaching and detachingthe transportation unit 66 with respect to the apparatus main body 12and a connection and disconnection of power transmission means.

In FIGS. 11A and 11B, the drive transmission unit 96 of the apparatusmain body 12 is connected to the driven transmission unit 86 of thetransportation unit 66. In a state where the drive transmission unit 96and the driven transmission unit 86 are connected to each other, in thefront and back direction (in a Y axis direction in FIG. 11A) of theapparatus, a position of the transportation unit 66 with respect to theapparatus main body 12 is referred to as a first position Y1 (refer toFIG. 11B).

Herein, the drive transmission unit 96 is configured to have a geartrain that is configured to have a plurality of gears. A drive gear 114is positioned at one end of the row of gear train, and is connected tothe drive motor 116. A third transmission gear 118 is positioned at theother end thereof, and engages with the first transmission gear 88 ofthe driven transmission unit 86. Herein, the drive transmission unit 96is configured in such a manner that the third transmission gear 118always rotates in a counter-clockwise direction no matter whichdirection the drive motor 116 rotates in.

For this reason, when the drive transmission unit 96 and the driventransmission unit 86 are connected to each other at the first positionY1, due to a rotational drive force of the drive motor 116, the firstroller drive gear 94 and the second roller drive gear 90, that is, thefirst roller 50 and the second roller 52, are rotationally driven in acounter-clockwise direction, that is, in a direction in which the paperP is fed along the transportation path.

Subsequently, a second position Y2 will be described with reference toFIGS. 12A, 12B and 13A. In the front and back direction (in a Y axisdirection in FIGS. 12B and 13A) of the apparatus, the second position Y2(refer to FIGS. 12B and 13A) indicates a position of which the driventransmission unit 86 separates from the drive transmission unit 96, thatis, the transportation unit 66 pulls out with respect to the firstposition Y1.

In FIG. 12A, when the back surface cover 22 is open with respect to theapparatus main body 12, the engagement between the pressed section 104of the transportation unit 66 and the pressing section 108 is released.For this reason, the regulation in the Y axis direction of thetransportation unit 66 is released with respect to the apparatus mainbody 12. Accordingly, the transportation unit 66 can be displaced to aside of a +Y direction with respect to the apparatus main body 12.

Herein, when a user grasps the grasping section 100 to slide thetransportation unit 66 in the +Y direction, as illustrated in FIG. 12B,the transportation unit 66 moves from the first position Y1 to thesecond position Y2 in the Y axis direction. Accordingly, the engagementbetween the third transmission gear 118 of the drive transmission unit96 and the first transmission gear 88 of the driven transmission unit 86is released. That is, the driven transmission unit 86 separates from thedrive transmission unit 96, and the drive force of the drive motor 116is not transmitted to the driven transmission unit 86.

For this reason, the first transmission gear 88, the second roller drivegear 90, the second transmission gear 92 and the first roller drive gear94 of the driven transmission unit 86 are freely rotatable. Accordingly,the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 rotated by the driventransmission unit 86 are freely rotatable.

At this time, if the transportation unit 66 slides from the firstposition Y1 to the second position Y2, the protrusion 102 of thetransportation unit 66 engages with the sloping surface 110 that isprovided on the support plate 98. Accordingly, when a pullout forceequal to or smaller than a predetermined magnitude is exerted on thetransportation unit 66, the transportation unit 66 is retained at thesecond position Y2 in the Y axis direction by the retention unit 112that is configured to have the protrusion 102 and the sloping surface110.

Accordingly, in a state where the transportation unit 66 is mounted ontothe apparatus main body 12, the transportation unit 66 is configured tobe displaceable between the first position Y1 at which the driventransmission unit 86 is connected to the drive transmission unit 96 andthe second position Y2 of which the driven transmission unit 86separates from the drive transmission unit 96, that is, thetransportation unit 66 pulls out with respect to the first position Y1.

Furthermore, when a pullout force equal to or larger than apredetermined magnitude is exerted on the transportation unit 66, theprotrusion 102 climbs over the sloping surface 110 along a +Z directionin FIG. 13A and thus, the retention unit 112 can release the retentionof the transportation unit 66 at the second position Y2. For thisreason, as illustrated in FIG. 13B, the transportation unit 66 movesfrom the mounting section 106 of the apparatus main body 12 to theoutside of the apparatus main body 12, and is detached from theapparatus main body 12.

That is, if a pullout force equal to or larger than a predeterminedmagnitude is applied to the transportation unit 66, it is possible topull out the transportation unit 66 from the mounting section 106.Accordingly, when the transportation unit 66 is pulled out goodworkability is obtained compared to a configuration in which thetransportation unit 66 is completely locked at the second position Y2.

When the transportation unit 66 is mounted onto the apparatus main body12, the transportation unit 66 is inserted onto the mounting section 106in the +Y direction in FIG. 13B. In a state where the transportationunit 66 is positioned at the second position Y2 with respect to theapparatus main body 12, the back surface cover 22 is closed with respectto the apparatus main body 12. Accordingly, the pressing section 108(refer to FIG. 9A) of the back surface cover 22 engages with the pressedsection 104 (refer to FIG. 8) of the transportation unit 66, and thepressed section 104 is pressed in a −Y direction, and the transportationunit 66 is pressed into the first position Y1. Accordingly, the driventransmission unit 86 is connected to the drive transmission unit 96, anda drive force from the drive motor 116 is transmitted to the driventransmission unit 86.

Subsequently, when the paper P is jammed in the transportation pathformed by the transportation unit 66, a paper jam release process willbe described with reference to FIGS. 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 13A and 13Bagain.

In FIG. 11A, when the paper P is jammed in the transportation path,first, the back surface cover 22 is open with respect to the apparatusmain body 12. Accordingly, the transportation path from the mediumcontainer 20 to the transportation unit 66 is exposed and thus, it ispossible to confirm the paper P that causes a paper jam. Accordingly, itis possible to easily remove the paper P that causes a paper jam in thetransportation path from the medium container 20 to the transportationunit 66.

Subsequently, when a paper jam occurs in a state where the paper P isnipped by the first roller 50, the second roller 52, the firsttransportation driven roller 54, the second transportation driven roller56 and the third transportation driven roller 58, if the back surfacecover is open with respect to the apparatus main body 12, a part of thepaper P jammed on an outside, that is, the back end side of thetransportation unit 66 is exposed. At this time, since the jammed paperP is nipped by each of the rollers, a force of pulling out the paper Pis larger than a force of retaining the transportation unit 66 at thefirst position Y1. For this reason, when a user pulls out the paper Pthat is exposed to the outside from the back end side of thetransportation unit 66, it is possible to move the transportation unit66 from the first position Y1 to the second position Y2.

For this reason, when the transportation unit 66 is positioned at thesecond position Y2, a drive force is not transmitted to thetransportation unit 66. That is, since the first roller 50 and thesecond roller 52 of the transportation unit 66 are freely rotatable, itis possible to easily pull out the paper P in contact with the firstroller 50 and the second roller 52, and to easily perform a paper jamrelease operation.

Furthermore, even in a case where the paper P is nipped at multiplepositions, when only a connection between the drive transmission unit 96and the driven transmission unit 86 is released, a drive force is nottransmitted to the entirety of the transportation unit 66, that is, eachof the rollers are freely rotatable at the multiple nipping positions (aposition between the first roller 50 and the third transportation drivenroller 58, a position between the second roller 52 and the secondtransportation driven roller 56, and a position between the secondroller 52 and the first transportation driven roller 54) of the paper P.In a configuration in which the paper P is nipped at multiple positions,it is possible to avoid complexity of the structure and to easily removethe paper P.

When a user pulls out the paper P of which a part is nipped by the firstroller 50, the second roller 52, the first transportation driven roller54, the second transportation driven roller 56 and the thirdtransportation driven roller 58, and appears on the outside of thetransportation unit 66, that is, on the back end side thereof, thetransportation unit 66 moves to the second position Y2 and thus, it isnot necessary for the user to move the transportation unit 66 from thefirst position Y1 to the second position Y2, and good workability isobtained.

Since the printer 10 includes the retention unit 112, that is, theprotrusion 102 and the sloping surface 110, which retains thetransportation unit 66 at the second position Y2, when thetransportation unit 66 moves from the first position Y1 to the secondposition Y2, the retention unit 112 can prevent the transportation unit66 from unintentionally returning to the first position Y1 during apaper jam release operation of the paper P.

Since the printer 10 includes the retention unit 112 that retains thetransportation unit 66 at the second position Y2, when a user pulls outthe paper P that is nipped by the first roller 50, the second roller 52,the first transportation driven roller 54, the second transportationdriven roller 56 and the third transportation driven roller 58 in astate where the transportation unit 66 is retained at the secondposition Y2, the retention of transportation unit 66 at the secondposition Y2 is maintained, and the paper P is pulled out from betweenthe first roller 50 and the third transportation driven roller 58,between the second roller 52 and the second transportation driven roller56, and between the second roller 52 and the first transportation drivenroller 54.

That is, since a force of retaining the transportation unit 66 at thesecond position Y2 is larger than a force of pulling out the paper Pfrom the transportation unit 66, that is, since the retention unit 112retains the transportation unit 66 at the second position against theoperation of pulling out the paper P, when the paper P is pulled outfrom the transportation unit 66, it is possible to avoid such a problemthat the transportation unit 66 is accompanied by the paper P and thus,is also pulled out from the apparatus main body 12.

Modification Example of First Embodiment

(1) In the configuration of the embodiment, one each of the first roller50 and the second roller 52 are provided at the center in a directionthat intersects with the transportation direction of the paper P, thatis, in the width direction of the unit main body 82 of thetransportation unit 66. However, the embodiment may have a configurationin which at least any one of the first roller 50 and the second roller52 is provided at multiple positions along the direction that intersectswith the transportation direction of the paper P, that is, along thewidth direction of the unit main body 82. In particular, in aconfiguration in which the plurality of second rollers 52 are providedin the width direction, since the paper P is in contact with the secondroller 52 at multiple positions in the width direction of the paper Pand thus, it is possible to suppress oblique feeding of the paper Pduring the transportation thereof.

(2) In a configuration in which at least any one of the first roller 50and the second roller 52 is provided at multiple positions along thedirection that intersects with the transportation direction of the paperP, that is, along the width direction of the unit main body 82, aplurality of the first transportation driven rollers 54 and the secondtransportation driven rollers 56, and a plurality of the thirdtransportation driven rollers 58 may be provided to be respectively incontact with the second rollers 52 and the first rollers 50. With thisconfiguration, it is possible to further prevent the oblique feeding ofthe paper P during the transportation thereof.

(3) In the configuration of the embodiment, the protrusion 102 of theretention unit 112 is provided on a side of the transportation unit 66,and the sloping surface 110 of the retention unit 112 is provided on aside of the apparatus main body 12. However, the embodiment may have aconfiguration in which the protrusion 102 is provided on the side of theapparatus main body 12, and the sloping surface 110 is provided on theside of the transportation unit 66.

(4) In the configuration of the embodiment, the first roller 50 and thesecond roller 52 transport the paper P by using the outercircumferential surfaces thereof. However, the embodiment may have aconfiguration in which an endless belt is wound around between the firstroller 50 and the second roller 52, and the endless belt driven byrotation of the first roller 50 and the second roller 52 transports thepaper P.

Second Embodiment

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a printer 120 according to a secondembodiment of the invention. The printer 120 is different from that ofthe first embodiment in that the first transportation driven roller 54,the second transportation driven roller 56 and the third transportationdriven roller 58 are not provided on a transportation unit 122 but on aapparatus main body 124.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the printer 120 is configured in sucha manner that the transportation unit 122 is attachable and detachablewith respect to the apparatus main body 124. The back surface cover 22is open and closed, and the transportation unit 122 is attached anddetached with respect to the apparatus main body 124. Similarly to inthe first embodiment, the transportation unit 122 is provided with thefirst roller 50 and the second roller 52. Similarly to in the firstembodiment, when the transportation unit 122 is mounted onto theapparatus main body 124, and the drive transmission unit 96 of theapparatus main body 124 is connected to the driven transmission unit 86of the transportation unit 122, the first roller 50 and the secondroller 52 are rotationally driven by a drive force supplied from theapparatus main body 124.

When the transportation unit 122 is mounted onto the apparatus main body124, the apparatus main body 124 is provided with the firsttransportation driven roller 54, the second transportation driven roller56 and the third transportation driven roller 58 in such a manner thatthe first transportation driven roller 54 and the second transportationdriven roller 56, and the third transportation driven roller 58 arerespectively in contact with the second roller 52 and the first roller50.

The pressed section 104 (refer to FIGS. 6 and 8) is provided on a backend side of the transportation unit 122. In contrast, the pressingsection 108 (refer to FIGS. 9A and 9B) is provided on a side of theinner surface of the back surface cover 22, that is, on a side of theback surface cover 22, which faces the apparatus main body 124.

In the embodiment, when the transportation unit 122 is mounted onto theapparatus main body 124, and the back surface cover 22 is closed, thepressed section 104 and the pressing section 108 are in contact witheach other, and the pressing section 108 presses the pressed section104. Accordingly, the transportation unit 122 moves from the secondposition Y2 to a front side (a side of a −Y direction in FIGS. 14 and15) of the apparatus with respect to the apparatus main body 124, andthe transportation unit 122 is positioned at the first position Y1.Accordingly, the drive transmission unit 96 is connected to the driventransmission unit 86, and the paper P can be transported.

When the transportation unit 122 is mounted onto the apparatus main body124, and the back surface cover 22 is open with respect to the apparatusmain body 124, the engagement between the pressed section 104 and thepressing section 108 is released. When the pressed section 104 and thepressing section 108 disengage each other, the apparatus main body 124is provided with bias means which is not illustrated and biases thetransportation unit 122 in a +Y direction in FIG. 15. Accordingly, inthe embodiment, when the back surface cover 22 is open with respect tothe apparatus main body 124, the transportation unit 122 is displacedfrom the first position Y1 to the second position Y2 by the bias meanswhich is not illustrated.

That is, in the embodiment, when the back surface cover 22 is closed,the transportation unit 122 is retained at the first position Y1 by theback surface cover 22. When the closed back surface cover 22 is open,the transportation unit 122 is displaced from the first position Y1 tothe second position.

Accordingly, since the transportation unit 122 is displaced from thefirst position Y1 to the second position Y2, it is not necessary for auser to move the transportation unit 122 itself from the first positionY1 to the second position Y2, and good workability is obtained.

In addition, in each of the embodiments described above, thetransportation units 66 and 122 are applied to an ink jet printer as anexample of the recording apparatus. However, the transportation units 66and 122 are also typically applicable to other liquid ejectingapparatuses.

Herein, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to a printer, acopying machine, a facsimile and the like that uses an ink jet typerecording head, and performs recording on a recording medium bydischarging ink from the recording head. The liquid ejecting apparatusincludes a apparatus that ejects liquid suitable for the purpose insteadof ink on an ejected medium equivalent to the recorded medium from aliquid ejecting head equivalent to the ink jet type recording head, andadheres the liquid on the ejected medium.

In addition to the recording head describe above, there are followingliquid ejecting heads: a color material ejecting head used inmanufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display; anelectrode material (electric conductive paste) ejecting head used informing an electrode of an organic EL display, a field emission display(FED) or the like; a living organic matter ejecting head used inmanufacturing a biochip; a specimen ejecting head as a precisionpipette; and the like.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Theinvention can be modified in various forms insofar as the modificationsdo not depart from the scope of the invention, which is described in theclaims. The scope of the invention includes the modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recording apparatus comprising: an apparatusmain body that includes a recording head which performs recording on amedium; and a unit body that forms a medium transportation path throughwhich the medium is transported, and is configured to be attachable anddetachable with respect to the apparatus main body, wherein the unitbody is mounted on a mounting section that is exposed when an openableand closeable opening/closing body provided on the apparatus main bodyis open, wherein the unit body includes a feeding roller that transportsthe medium, and a driven transportation unit that is connected to adrive transportation unit which is provided on a side of the apparatusmain body to transmit a drive force, and that transmits the drive forceof the drive transportation unit to the feeding roller, wherein, in astate where the unit body is mounted on the apparatus main body, theunit body is displaceable between a first position at which the driventransmission unit is connected to the drive transmission unit and asecond position at which the driven transmission unit is separated fromthe drive transmission unit, that is, the unit body is pulled out withrespect to the first position, wherein when the closed opening/closingbody is closed, the unit body is retained at the first position by theopening/closing body, and wherein when the opening/closing body is open,the unit body is displaced from the first position to the secondposition.
 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whenthe opening/closing body is open, at least a part of the feeding rolleris exposed.
 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thefeeding roller is a roller that inverts the medium fed from a side ofthe recording head by using an outer circumferential surface thereof,and wherein the unit body includes a second feeding roller of which anouter circumferential surface is in contact with medium transportationpaths before and after the medium is inverted by the feeding roller andwhich exerts a transportation force on the medium.
 4. The recordingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeding roller is a rollerthat inverts the medium fed from a side of the recording head by usingan outer circumferential surface thereof, and wherein the unit bodyincludes a second feeding roller of which an outer circumferentialsurface is in contact with medium transportation paths before and afterthe medium is inverted by the feeding roller and which exerts atransportation force on the medium.
 5. The recording apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein when a user pulls out the medium that is nipped bythe feeding roller and the driven roller in a state where the unit bodyis retained at the second position, the retention of the unit body atthe second position is maintained, and the medium is pulled out frombetween the feeding roller and the driven roller.